“‘The song’ is still at the heart of everything I do, and one of the greatest joys of my life is when I am required to arrange new repertoire – to frame songs in such a way that the listener can listen with fresh ears.”
As Pete Churchill looks forward to the launch of the album ‘Search for Peace” with Australian singer Ingrid James at the 606 Club, he reflects on his “singular pathway through this music I love .”
Pete Churchill writes: There are many roads that lead us towards a life in Jazz. Unlike Classical music, we have no prescribed pathway we can follow and so many of us will arrive at this music having carved a very different musical furrow for a while. My journey into jazz began with ‘songs at the piano’.
As a student in Canada (Art History at first!) my earliest gigs were in archetypal North American piano bars – night after night singing and playing requests for rooms full of people, many of whom had settled in for a long evening of drinking – mostly to forget! I recall this time as a total baptism of fire. Every night I had to cover songs that crossed a wide range of styles… the Great American Songbook (of course) but also Elton John, not to mention Hank Williams, Cat Stevens, Stevie Wonder and the Doobie Brothers. But this was the late 70s, early 80s and luckily for me there were so many great songs on the radio that I soon realised that every request was worth the effort if I made it so.
In time I graduated from solitary singer/pianist to playing in a number of bands across an even wider range of genres. Gradually my understanding of the musical language at the heart of each style improved – and bandleaders certainly never hesitated to let me know if I strayed into the wrong musical territory. I learned about ‘Three chords and the Truth’, the simplicity and nobility of triads and I was told “If you’re bored you’re not playing right!”. In one Country band I was labelled ‘College-Boy’ – not exactly a compliment – and yet I seem to have survived with my dignity intact.
Over and above gaining a sizeable repertoire (there are songs in my head a wish I didn’t know!) and a reasonable level of fluency in different keys, this pathway into music taught me that every style of music had its own grammar and syntax and, most importantly, its own standards of excellence.
I arrived at the Guildhall in London to study Jazz for I suspected that in this music I would find the freedom I craved… a freedom of approach that seemed unattainable in other kinds of music. Only this music promised to offer me a chance to own all my influences and to value my singular pathway. But the college experience was certainly not plain-sailing… for me it proved to be another ‘baptism of fire’ – everyone appeared to be considerably more informed than I was and it was all very intimidating. In fact, it wasn’t until I left college that I realised that what I thought to be my greatest liability – my somewhat distracted and meandering journey into Jazz – was perhaps my greatest strength after all.
Nevertheless, there is no doubt in my mind that, since graduating, I have led a charmed life in Jazz. My career as a Jazz Educator (I never really left college) kept me deeply involved with making music at a high level – and this has been a complete privilege… so much more than I had a right to expect. As a teacher at the Guildhall I was able to develop close connections with artists whose paths I would probably never have crossed as a player. In addition it was a group of Guildhall alumni who initially formed the London Vocal Project and invited me to join them. This has led to some extraordinary musical collaborations… experiences I would never have dreamed of in those long evenings playing requests back in Canada. Finally, my fifteen years with Mark Murphy (we connected on the songs – he certainly didn’t hire me for my chops!) proved to be a constant Masterclass in how an improvising jazz singer can balance freedom and discipline when approaching a song. I am very grateful.
Now, forty years on, the ‘song’ is still at the heart of everything I do and one of the greatest joys of my life is when I am required to arrange new repertoire – to frame songs in such a way that the listener can listen with fresh ears. Every now and then a project comes along where I get to sift through all these sounds that jostle for space in my head – and use them in arranging a well-chosen repertoire. This new album, ‘Search for Peace’, a wonderful collaboration with the great Australian Jazz Singer, Ingrid James, is exactly this kind of project.
We spent a fair amount of time planning the repertoire (it began remotely and the final sessions took place in Ingrid’s beautiful riverside apartment in Brisbane) taking the time to decide exactly the right ‘tone’ for each selection. This involved choosing the appropriate ‘feel’ for each song, the right harmony for that ‘feel’, the balancing of the ‘fixed’ and the improvised material and the best pacing for each arrangement.
With Ingrid’s blessing I felt I was able draw upon any references that felt appropriate to frame each track – Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans, Gerald Finzi… – they all went into the mix and gradually the album began to take shape. The culmination of this process was when we spent two very special days in a beautiful rural recording studio near Brisbane – with a wonderful Steinway! It was a complete joy from start to finish – not something you can say about every recording project!
The album is out now on ABC Records and this Thursday (19th September) Ingrid and I will be launching it at the 606 club – ably assisted by Jack Tustin on bass and Luke Tomlinson on drums.
It has been quite a journey bringing Ingrid’s vision to life and a real privilege to collaborate the way we have.
For myself, I seem still to be navigating my singular pathway through this music I love and as I look back I know that it is projects like this that make me thankful for the sporadic nature of those early years and happy that those sounds still echo through my crowded brain.
One Response
Have a great launch tonight at the 606, Pete !